New Delhi: Reporters covering CJP’s protest found themselves at the receiving end Monday with several of them allegedly heckled and assaulted.Reporter Shafali Nigam was among those targeted. Videos purportedly from the protest site showed a crowd surrounding her as she attempted to report live. They tried to block her cameraperson’s lens with Tricolour, while one man appeared to hit her on the head and another kicked her as she continued speaking to the camera.Journalist Dev Kotak was shaken after an alleged assault by protesters. In videos shared on social media, Kotak was seen with his shirt torn. “I was surrounded by the crowd, repeatedly kicked, pushed to the ground and attacked with water bottles. My phone , watch and spectacles were also snatched. I kept asking them to at least not take my specs because I couldn’t see without them. I fear for myself and my family’s safety,” he said.In a post on X early Wednesday, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said, “We strongly condemn this violence against Dev. He is a fantastic reporter. No one should be resorting to such violence, no matter how much police instigate them. Sorry brother Dev. We appeal for peace and calm.”Another reporter, Varun Bhasin, was allegedly drenched with water and pushed by a group of men, while banana peels were also thrown at him. On X, Bhasin said he was “cornered, chased, threatened, abused” after being branded “godi media”, adding that the incident would not stop him from asking questions.Jyoti Mishra, another journalist, had to be rescued after allegedly being chased by protesters. The reporter told TOI that she spent nearly five hours covering the protest after walking about 1.5km from Rajiv Chowk due to barricades. “They heckled and abused me. They made derogatory remarks and kept following me for nearly one to one-and-a-half hours,” she alleged.Mishra said she later took shelter inside a bank, where the guard pulled down the shutter as a crowd gathered outside. After she called PCR, DCP (central) Rohit Rajbir and his team reached the spot and escorted her out.Many reporters said they were now exercising extreme caution, often hiding their mic flags and avoiding mentioning their media affiliations to stay safe.